Do unto others…

This morning I received a call from a neighbor who is working in another city. Her security company phoned with the news that something triggered the alarm on her patio door. While venturing out in the dark was a little intimidating for me, it felt good to do a favor for a friend. Also, with a foot of fresh snow yesterday, it was easy to see that no one had been anywhere near her home. 

After reading today’s devotional, I wondered if the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is a command for life or another way of saying whatever you dish out will come back to you. 

Modern maxims say the same thing, such as: smile and the world smiles with you. It seems true. I’ve also noticed that when I am a polite and careful driver, so are others. When I am thankful, others are thankful. When I complain, others complain. While none of this is one hundred percent 24/7, it seems to be generally true most of the time.

However, it is important to remember that God looks for unselfish motives. The idea of giving so I can get something back throws this maxim out a window. Think also of the preachers who use it to get gullible people to send them money. This is a repulsive abuse of this important principle, never mind an abuse of the pocketbooks of those who fall for it.

On the other hand, God does bless good things done for others. An Old Testament proverb puts it this way: “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered” (Proverbs 11:25). 

The words of Jesus bear out this ‘equal measure’ maxim. He says things like:

Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. (Mark 4:24)

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:37–38)

Another New Testament passage talks about giving in this same ‘equal measure’ manner showing that God is behind the idea that we get back what we give out.

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully…. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. (2 Corinthians 9:6–11)

All of this has me thinking of the rewards God gives for obedience. Sometimes they are immediate; sometimes they are reserved for eternity. The reward might be like the deed, such as money for money, but it also could be different, such as getting warm from good exercise on a cold morning in trade for giving someone else peace of mind. 

Either way, it is never a bad idea to do good for others.

God blesses sacrificial giving

My mother used to say that a person cannot be truly happy unless they are doing things for others. This was her expression of a biblical principle that requires discipline to learn.

Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. (Proverbs 11:25)

Some television-based ministries twist this to mean that the more you give, the more you get, making the motivation for giving a self-centered one. They quote Jesus who said, “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

However, this is not what God has in mind. By nature, we are selfish, me-first creatures. By giving in order to get, I make generosity all about me and what I can get out of it instead of truly thinking about others. Instead, the biblical idea of giving is like Jesus gave — sacrificially.

Jesus never once considered the cost to Himself more important than our need for forgiveness and redemption. As He died on the cross, He put us first. As God “so loved the world that He gave His Son,” He put us first. Jesus focused on the “joy set before Him” so He could endure, but that is not why He died for us. For Him, our lost condition was of utmost importance.

The verses quoted above do offer a sense in that by giving, we accumulate, but this is not the point. The point is that by putting the needs of others first, we do not need to fear the cost to ourselves. God says that when I make others happy, I will be blessed, but the sacrifice of giving must be entered into with that idea; I am making a sacrifice, not doing this so I can gain in some way. In fact, that focus is of the world and is not a reflection of God and His ways.

Spurgeon adds more to this idea of giving. He says that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered — because “our efforts to be useful, bring out our powers for usefulness.”

That is, God gives me all that I need to serve others. I can be a source of love and power to them, but these resources are brought to light by using them for others. I cannot see or release the goodness of God in myself unless I am willing to give up my “i-wants” and obey the Lord. For instance, the tender sympathy of Christ comes out only when I try to soothe someone’s grief or carry another’s burden.

I understand this in terms of my God-given ministry of teaching. It is in teaching others that I gain instruction — and learn how little I know. As I try to help others, God teaches me His ways for my own life. “Watering” someone else produces humility in my own heart, as well as  deeper insight into divine truth.

It is the same with comfort. God increases my sense of joy when I forget my sorrows and try to soothe others. Spurgeon reminds me of the two men in the snow, one rubbing the other’s limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in circulation, saving his own life also.

Another way to say this is that God’s love and grace flow through open channels. When the channel is blocked by “me first” or a “my goals” motivation, then love and grace bless no one. The person who gives in order to get might receive some financial recompense (or not) but others will miss out on the blessing that God intended, and so will the self-focused giver.

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Lord, it was good yesterday to be occupied in serving someone else. It is also good to be reminded that while it is okay to feel sorrow at setbacks and losses, that sorrow can become “poor me” and block the blessings You want to give me. Thank You for those who put this sacrificial giving principle to work in ministering to me, and thank You for the privilege of being able to do the same for others.